2026 runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend hits Walt Disney World October 22 through 25.
5K, 10K, half marathon. The half closes it out Sunday.
Some context.
This is the first runDisney weekend of the season, which means it sets the tone for the whole race year. It also means a few thousand people are about to be awake and on a bus at two thirty in the morning, voluntarily, on their vacation.
If you are one of them, keep reading. If you are just visiting that weekend and had no idea a race was happening, definitely keep reading.
First, the Part for Everyone Else
Look, race weekends pack the parks.
Wait times climb. Dining gets tight. The resorts feel busier than a normal late October weekend has any business feeling.
And here is the one that gets people:
EPCOT opens at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. Not 9 a.m. Early Theme Park Entry slides from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
So if you booked a Sunday EPCOT morning months ago and built a whole plan around early entry, that hour is gone. Go check your breakfast reservation right now.
Expo Hours, and When to Show Up
Bib pickup is at the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo, ESPN Wide World of Sports. No expo, no race. Non negotiable.
- Thursday, October 22: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday, October 23: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, October 24: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Crowd levels run about like this. Nine to three is a zoo. Three to six is manageable. Six to eight is the calm window.
Buses, rideshare, or drive yourself. All fine.
And grab your shirt while you are standing there. People forget constantly and then burn an entire morning driving back.
Now, the Merch Trap
Here is the thing nobody tells you until it is too late.
Want Wine & Dine merchandise on day one? You need a virtual queue through the My Disney Experience app at 7 a.m. Same deal for the runDisney Brooks shoes.
Day one only. Friday and Saturday, no queue.
Except look at what that actually means. The calmest time to hit the expo is Thursday evening. The best selection is Thursday morning, which is the single busiest stretch of the entire weekend. Wait until Friday and you stroll right in, but you are picking through whatever survived.
You cannot have both. Decide now which one you actually care about.
Do Not Tear That Tag
New for the 5K this year: your bib has two tear tags.
Top tag goes to shirt pickup. Tear it, hand it over, get your size.
Bottom tag has your Start Group Opening Time on it. That one stays attached until race morning, then you hand it to a cast member at the start group entrance.
So do not sit in your hotel room the night before neatening up your bib. That bottom tag is your ticket into the corral.
And since Wine & Dine kicks off the season, this is the first time the system runs live. Expect it to stick around.
Race Morning Logistics
Resort buses. Take them. Easiest option by a mile and you will not be circling a parking lot in the dark.
If you insist on driving, park at EPCOT, free before 7:30 a.m. There is also a rideshare loop.
Bus windows:
- 5K: 2:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- 10K: 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., then 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Half Marathon: 2:30 a.m. to 5 a.m., then 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Get there roughly an hour before your projected start.
Staying on property and not racing? Those buses are running race duty before dawn. Plan accordingly.
The Cheat Sheet
Expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Evenings are quiet.
Virtual queue at 7 a.m., day one merch only.
5K runners, that bottom tag stays on.
Half marathon buses roll at 2:30 a.m.
EPCOT opens an hour late Sunday, October 25.
